Towels and robesGuide
How to choose a dressing gown: fabric, weight and fit
What to check before you buy a dressing gown: fabric for drying off or keeping warm, weight, length and fit, the collar and fastening, and the care label.
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Before you buy a dressing gown, decide whether it is for drying off after a bath or for keeping warm, because that sets the fabric. Then check the weight, the length, the collar and fastening, and the care label. Cotton towelling dries you; fleece keeps you warm but does not absorb water.
Drying gown or warm gown
Whether a dressing gown is for drying off or for warmth decides most of the choice. A bathrobe is a dressing gown made from towelling or another absorbent fabric, so it does the job of a towel. A dressing gown for the evening, in fleece or with a plush lining, is about warmth instead. Some people own one of each: a towelling robe on the bathroom door and a fleece gown for the sofa.
Which fabric to choose for a dressing gown
| If you want | Look for | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A gown that dries you | Cotton towelling (terry) | Loops soak up water; longer, denser loops absorb more |
| A light gown that dries quickly | Waffle cotton | Made for lightness rather than absorbency |
| The warmest gown | Fleece, or a fleece or velour lining | Fleece holds less than 1% of its weight in water and stays warm |
| A smart gown for the evening | Cotton, silk or a printed fabric | Not worn after bathing, so it need not absorb |
Towelling is usually 100% cotton, sometimes mixed with polyester. Fleece is polyester, and heavier fleece is warmer. Plush gowns are often lined with fleece or velour for a soft, warm inside. The fabric comparison goes through each one in more detail, including silk and cashmere.
Dressing gowns by fabric: waffle, towelling and fleece
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How heavy a dressing gown should be
Weight tells you how a gown will feel to wear. A heavy towelling gown is warm and absorbent but slow to dry and bulky to pack. A waffle gown is light enough for a warm bathroom or a holiday bag. With fleece, the heavier grades are the warmer ones, so a heavier fleece suits a cold house better than a lightweight one.
Think about where the gown will hang, too. A heavy towelling gown left damp on a hook in a cool bathroom stays damp for a long time, while a waffle gown or a fleece one is dry again quickly.
Length and fit
| Length | Where it falls | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Short | Above the knee | Warm bathrooms, summer, wearing after a shower |
| Knee length | At or just below the knee | Everyday wear, most towelling robes |
| Mid-calf | Halfway down the calf | Cooler houses, evenings |
| Full length | Near the ankle | The coldest houses, the most warmth |
A longer gown is warmer; a shorter one is cooler. For fit, a dressing gown should wrap over at the front with room to spare, so you can sit down without it falling open. Check the maker’s size chart, including how long the gown is, since the same size can fall at the knee on one person and well above it on someone taller. Men’s gowns are often cut longer; the men’s dressing gowns guide covers lengths and styles for men.
Collar, hood and fastening
The shawl collar, a soft rolled collar that runs down the front, is the classic look and sits up a little round the neck for warmth. A hood adds more warmth and is common on fleece and towelling gowns. For fastening, a tie belt is the traditional wrap and is easy to adjust, while a zip-up gown has no belt to come loose and stays closed.
Check the pockets as well. Two deep patch pockets hold a phone, a tissue or the remote, and a belt loop on each side stops a tie belt slipping off when you take the gown off.
Reading the care label
The tub symbol gives the highest wash temperature, in degrees Celsius. No bar under the tub means a normal cotton cycle; one bar means a gentler synthetics cycle; two bars mean a very gentle wool or silk cycle. A hand in the tub means hand wash only, and a cross through any symbol means do not. Dots in the tumble dryer square show the heat: one for low, two for normal.
Towelling and cotton gowns are the easiest to wash at home. Fleece is best washed cool and kept away from high heat, which can damage it. For the whole bathroom, see the UK luxury bath guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest kind of dressing gown?
A long fleece gown, or one lined with fleece or velour. Heavier fleece is warmer than lighter fleece, and a longer gown covers more of you, so a full-length heavy fleece gown is the warm choice for a cold house.
Which dressing gown dries you after a bath?
A cotton towelling one. Towelling has loops that soak up water like a bath towel, and longer, denser loops absorb more. Fleece is the opposite: it holds very little water, so it keeps you warm but will not dry you.
Should I choose a belt or a zip?
A tie belt is the classic wrap style and is easy to adjust. A zip-up gown has no belt to come undone, so it stays closed, which some people prefer for wearing round the house for longer.
How do I know what temperature to wash my dressing gown at?
Read the tub symbol on the care label. The number inside is the highest wash temperature in degrees Celsius, and bars under the tub mean a gentler cycle. A hand in the tub means hand wash only.
Do cotton dressing gowns shrink?
Cotton may shrink in a hot wash; follow the care label.
Sources
- BathrobeWikipedia
- TerryclothWikipedia
- Polar fleeceWikipedia
- Laundry symbolWikipedia
- The British Boxers guide to dressing gowns: history, materials, styles and how to choose the perfect oneBritish Boxers
- Top dressing gowns: the ultimate buyer's guideBown of London
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